When Lina-Mei flies home to meet her boyfriend’s family, she’s expecting love, warmth, maybe even a proposal. But a request mid-flight forces her to confront a line she won’t cross… and a version of herself she refuses to erase.
As pressure builds, she’s left with one choice: stay silent or speak the truth.
I’d been with Luke for just over a year when we booked the trip to meet his parents. It was the kind of milestone that felt both overdue and perfectly timed.
We had made it through long-distance stretches, career changes, and quiet, ordinary routines. When he said he wanted me to meet his family, and that he might propose if things felt right…
Something opened in me, quiet but real.
Hope, maybe?
It was meant to be a special week, one that belonged just to us. I’d wanted to meet his parents for a long time, but Luke didn’t want to rush it. So I’d waited for the right moment to present itself.
I packed carefully; flats for dinner, heels just in case, and a soft blue dress I’d only worn once before, in case a special occasion came up.
On the morning of our flight, Luke kissed me on the forehead while I slipped into my boots.
“Lina, you’re going to love my mom,” he said.
“And I know she’s going to love you!”
We boarded our plane just past noon, and by the time we were halfway there, with the mountains stretching like watercolor smudges below us, Luke turned to me and said something that instantly hollowed the air between us.
“When we get there, Lina,” he began, his tone almost too casual. “Would you mind telling my family that you’re Japanese?”
“What?” I asked. For a moment, I honestly thought I’d misheard him.
“Not like a whole backstory or anything,” he said quickly.
“Just… let them assume, you know? You don’t have to outright lie, Lina.
Maybe mention a dish or drop a phrase in Japanese, and they’ll figure it out.”
“Luke… I’m Chinese,” I stared at him, unsure whether I was more confused or insulted.
“I know,” he said, chuckling a little, as if this were harmless. “But my grandmother’s Japanese, and my brother’s wife is Japanese too.
She’s kind of obsessed with the idea that we should marry Japanese women. That’s probably why she’s leaving her whole estate for Ryan. I guess it just makes her feel…
closer to something she misses. I don’t know. I could be wrong.”
The story doesn’t end here –
it continues on the next page.
TAP → NEXT PAGE → 👇
